Ferrari Challenge Stradale

The Ferrari Challenge Stradale is a variation of the Ferrari 360 Modena.
When the car was created, the designers were thinking 20% track use in mind and 80% road use.
And it shows in the performance.
The Challenge Stradale's 90° F131 V8 engine only puts out about 25 more horses (425) than the Modena, but the car is lighter, giving it a superior power to weight ratio.
It has a 0 to 62 mph time of just 4.1 seconds with a top speed of 183 mph.
(Although the 2008 version is said to pull 0-60 in 3.9 seconds)
The Stradale can pull the quarter mile in about 12.5 seconds at 114.1 mph.

The Jaguar XF

The Jaguar XF was launched in the UK in 2008.
It is a mid-size luxury car / sports sedan made by Jaguar, designed to replace the S-Type.
The Jaguar XF won the What Car? (a long-running UK monthly automobile magazine and website) Car of the Year award and the Car of the Year 2008 from What Diesel? magazine.

The base model of the Jaguar XF carries the 3-litre V6 (adapted from the Ford Duratec V6). It also comes with the Jaguar AJ-V8 4.2-litre engine.The standard version produces 300 hp but the supercharged SV8 model produces a very respectable 420 bhp!

The Jaguar S-Type

The Jaguar S-Type saloon was built by British car manufacturer Jaguar. It was announced in 1963, but actual deliveries didn't begin till 1964.
The S-Type came with the 3.4 or 3.8 L I6 Jaguar XK engine.
Slower and heavier than the Jaguar Mark 2, The S-Type had a better ride.
In the United States, the only engine offered was the 3.8 L engine, until the larger 4.2 L engine was introduced in the Jaguar 420.
The S-Type was replaced in August 1968 with the release of the larger Jaguar XJ6, but the name was brought back in 2000 for the retro-styled mid-range Jaguar S-Type.

Really nice page on the Jaguar 3.8 S-Type:
http://www.webfocus.co.nz/jaguar/

The Jaguar Mark 2

The Jaguar Mark 2, also known as Mk2, Mk 2 or MkII, is a medium sized saloon (sedan) car built during the 1950s and 1960s by Jaguar.
Rated at over over 200 bhp and with a top speed of about 125 mph, these sedans were often used as police patrol cars. But on the flip side, they were often used as getaway cars by bank robbers.
The Mark 2 was eventually replaced by the XJ6.

The Jaguar Mark 1

The Jaguar Mark 1 was a saloon car (sedan) produced by Jaguar between the years 1955 and 1959.

Originally known as the 2.4 and 3.4 'Compact' saloons, they have come to be called "Mark 1" to fit with their more famous successor, the Mark 2. They were the company's first "small" saloon since the demise of its 1½ Litre cars in 1949 and were an immediate success, easily outselling the larger Jaguar saloons.

A 2.4 litre saloon with overdrive was tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1956. It was found to have a top speed of 101.5 mph and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 14.4 seconds. Not exactly burning up the road compared to other Jags. A fuel consumption of 18.25 miles per imperial gallon (15.20 mpg US) was recorded. The test car cost £1532 including taxes.

They went on to test a 3.4 litre automatic saloon in 1957. This car had a top speed of 119.8 mph (192.8 km/h), acceleration from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 11.2 seconds and a fuel consumption of 21.1 miles per imperial gallon (17.6 mpg US) was recorded. The test car cost £1864 including taxes of £622.


Technorati Tags: Jaguar Mark 1 cars automobile automobiles car auto automotive vehicle autos vehicles

The Jaguar Mark IV

The Jaguar Mark IV, pronounced mark four, was a saloon (sedan) car built by Jaguar from 1945 to 1949.
It was a relaunch of a pre World War II model made by SS Cars Ltd from 1936.

Before World War 2 the name Jaguar was the model name given to the complete range of cars built by SS Cars Ltd. The saloons were titled SS Jaguar 1½ litre, 2½ litre or 3½ litre. The two seater sports car was titled the SS Jaguar 100 2½ litre or 3½ litre.

After the war the company name was changed to Jaguar Cars Ltd. While the post war saloons were officially the Jaguar 1½ litre, 2½ litre and the 3½ Litre, the term 'Mark IV' was applied by the trade simply to seperate them from the officially named Mark V.

http://www.saloondata.com/ is an online site that keeps track of all the Classic Jaguar Saloon's still around.

You can also get a ton of info on the early Jags here:
http://www.jag-lovers.org/firstcats/mkiv.php3

Jaguar recalls some XFs for faulty seat belts

Jaguar recalls some XFs for faulty seat belts

If you have a 2009 Jaguar XF, you should hop down to your dealer to have the rear safety belt assembly looked at. Jaguar is recalling 7,900 of the '09 cars because in an accident the rear occupants might not be properly restrained.
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/08/29/jaguar-recalls-some-xfs-for-faulty-seat-belts/

Now would this have happened when Jaguar was still British owned?

Jaguar XK60

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the launch of the XK120, Jaguar is launching a special series of the current XK for the UK market – the aptly named XK60.
XK60s will be built from July 2008 and include 20-inch Senta alloy wheels, a sporty alloy gear knob and selector-gate surround, plus distinctive body enhancements: a new front spoiler and rear valance panel, chrome-finished side vents and bright upper and lower front grille meshes, special tailpipe finishers and appliqués on both sides of the car.

The Jaguar XK

The Jaguar XK series (XK8 and XKR) is a grand tourer produced by British carmaker Jaguar since 1996. The car was introduced in Geneva Motor Show on March 5th 1996. It is the replacement of the XJS, and is available as a coupé and convertible. Currently in its second generation, the XK8 was the first 8 cylinder vehicle produced by Jaguar, when the Jaguar AJ-V8 engine was introduced.
The 1997 XK8 (project code X100) was available in coupé or convertible body styles and with either a supercharged 370 hp (276 kW) or naturally aspirated 290 hp (216 kW) engine. The supercharged variant is known as the XKR. The first-generation XK series shares its platform with the Aston Martin DB7. Both cars are derived from the Jaguar XJS, though the platform has been extensively changed.

Jaguar XJ-S

The Jaguar XJ-S, later the Jaguar XJS, was a luxury grand tourer produced by Jaguar. The XJ-S replaced the legendary E-Type (or XK-E) in September 1975, and was based on the XJ saloon. It was developed as the XK-F, though it was very different in character from its predecessor. Although it never had quite the same sporting image, the XJ-S was a competent grand tourer, and more aerodynamic than the E-Type. The last XJS was produced on April 4, 1996, with the XK8 taking its place.

First, the XJ-S appeared in 1975 as a 1976 model. Power came from the Jaguar V-12 with a choice of a manual or automatic transmission, but the manual was soon dropped. V-12 automobiles were unusual at the time, with notable others coming from Italian luxury sports car makers Lamborghini and Ferrari. The specifications of the XJ-S compared well with both Italian cars; it was able to accelerate to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 8.9 seconds and reach 142 mph (229 km/h). The first series of XJ-S cars had a Borg-Warner Model 12 transmission with a cast iron case and a bolt-on bell-housing. In 1979 GM Turbo-Hydromatic 400 transmissions were fitted. The TH400 transmission was an all aluminum alloy case with an integrated non-detachable bell-housing.

Jaguar's timing was not good; the car was launched in the wake of a fuel crisis, and the market for a 5.3-litre V12 grand tourer was very small. The styling was also the subject of criticism, including the "flying buttresses" behind the windows.

Jaguar seized promotional opportunities with the television series The New Avengers and Return of the Saint. The New Avengers featured Mike Gambit (Gareth Hunt) who drove an XJ-S. Reliability issues meant that three XJ-S cars were used. Return of the Saint saw Simon Templar (played by Ian Ogilvy) driving an early XJ-S with the number plate "ST 1". Miniature versions were made by Corgi and proved popular. A decade and a half before, Jaguar had turned down the producers of the earlier Saint series when approached about the E-type; the producers had instead used a Volvo P1800.

Responding to criticisms that the XJ-S was not a worthy E-type successor, Pininfarina revealed a sporty show car in 1978 based on XJ-S mechanicals and called Jaguar XJSpider. The car never went into production.

The Porsche Cayman

The Porsche Cayman is a mid-engined 2-seat sports car produced by Porsche AG of Germany. First launched in the 2006 model year, the Cayman is the coupé version of the second generation Porsche Boxster convertible. Like the Boxster, the Cayman is assembled in Finland by Valmet Automotive.

The performance of the Cayman S approaches that of Porsche's flagship sports car, the 911 Carrera. Rally legend Walter Röhrl lapped the Nürburgring Nordschleife track in a Cayman S equipped with optional 19" wheels, PCCB, and PASM in a time of 8 minutes, 11 seconds. The time for a standard Cayman S, as published by the manufacturer, was 8 minutes, 20 seconds. In contrast, Röhrl recorded 8 minutes, 15 seconds in a 911 Carrera. The similarity in performance between the two cars has led to speculation about whether the Cayman S will cannibalize sales of the Carrera, as the basic Carrera's recommended retail price in the United States is $12,400 higher than that of the Cayman S.

A Cayman prepared and run by privateers Jürgen and Uwe Alzen finished fourth overall (of 220 entrants) in the 2007 running of the Nürburgring 24 Hour race, ahead of two flagship Porsche 997 GT3 RSR's, a 997 GT3 Cup, and a 996 GT3 Cup. Another two privateer Caymans, entered by CSR and MSpeed, finished 22nd and 117th overall, respectively. Porsche disclaims support for the Cayman teams, while supporting some or all of the 997 teams.

A performance car feature which is not available from Porsche for the Cayman is limited slip differential (LSD). Some commentators have speculated that LSD is not offered, even as an option, because the Cayman S's performance would then be too close to the 911 Carrera. Several tuning companies offer Cayman buyers the ability to retrofit a LSD.


Technorati Tags: Porsche Cayman cars automobile porsche automobiles car auto automotive vehicle autos vehicles